Fairfax is a 45-minute drive over the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, if conditions are right. So avoid commute hour and you can be years away from the bustle of the city in no time. One of the few little towns in the Bay Area where you can still enjoy genuine hippy values, eat and shop at locally owned restaurants and quaint stores, and have a unique California experience. No high rise or franchises here. Just good old fashioned hospitality, peppered with a good dose of genuine concern for the environment, nature, new age philosophy and a rocking night life! You’ll find world class live music every any night of the week, and twice on Sundays! Fairfax is home to a variety of musicians, and hosts an eclectic range of original sounds. Check out and the bars; Peris’ and 19 Broadway as well as smaller venues hosting open mic and acoustic sets.
If you’re looking for some peace of mind, Spirit Rock Meditation Center is just 10 minutes away, with it’s beautiful new meditation hall, talks and residential retreats. You can drop in and hear world renowned Buddhist speakers every Monday night, from the founder Jack Kornfield, or one of the many Western Buddhist teachers, who put the concerns of every day into easily reachable perspectives of Buddhist meditation and philosophy. Or try one of the local yoga studios, Yoga Mountain or Sol Studios.
Natural beauty surrounds Fairfax, and there are easy and more challenging hiking trails through the rolling hills, where you can enjoy relative seclusion in a magical forest setting, traversing creeks and grasslands. Start at Deer Park or Cascade Drive. Fairfax is home to the Mountain Bike museum, and you’ll find mountain bikers of all ages, enjoying bike clubs and social rides, especially on weekends, where bikes tend to outnumber cars in this sleepy town.
Hungry? Fairfax is home to the first ever whole food store/ organic grocery store and restaurant combined. Inspired by the founder of the health food movement in California, back in 1969, Good Earth is still a thriving hub of the Fairfax Community, and you know the freshly prepared delicious salad and hot food bar is going to be all organic, sustainable, tastily prepared and suitable for any taste. Or if you prefer burgers, Thai, Mexican or Acai, just keep going up Broadway and you’ll find whatever you crave in one of the many locally owned and run restaurants. Cup of tea? Wu Wei Tea Temple serves up multiple blends of healing and delicious teas, thick hot chocolate and Golden Milk, all served in the atmosphere of a Turkish salon. And the Coffee Roastery roasts, grinds and serves its own unique coffee blends, right on the corner of the main street. Great people watching, and something for everyone in this little known gem of a town!
Lisa Peers
